What are the best streaming services in Canada? Comparing Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and more

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So has another winter come and you’re still not comfortable walking into a multiplex cinema? Fortunately for you, the streaming landscape has become even more diversified since this time last year; You are no longer simply limited to what the Netflix algorithm wants you to see.

To help expand your options, to an almost dizzying degree, we present an up-to-the-minute breakdown of the current Canadian broadcasting landscape. Prepare to drown in content for the next few chilly months, for a price.

Netflix

For whom?

Everybody, be still. Netflix executives have said time and again that they want to appeal to the widest possible audience. The streamer’s only competence, its CEO once commented, is sleep. Which means it has loads of entertainment for kids, documentaries about serial killers, low-key comedies, Mexican narco thrillers, high-profile dramas, big-screen-ready action shows, controversial stand-up specials, and so on. successively. The streamer also remains the leader in producing original material, rather than relying on previous catalogs from other studios. But the results have been mixed.

How much?

Plans for Canadian subscribers start at $ 9.99 per month and go up to $ 18.99 per month (the latter includes Ultra HD and the ability to watch four different shows on four different screens at the same time).

Ask

For whom?

Anyone who has tried to find something on Netflix and failed. Typically, newer Hollywood movies will end up on Netflix or Crave, though lately the latter seems to have a slight edge in the blockbuster rate thanks to a production deal with Warner Bros. Canada’s Crave also offers bundles with access to HBO programming and its back catalog of shows, including most (but not all) of the HBO Max originals. Crave has also gone to great lengths to highlight Canadian content, which is admirable… but probably also due to regulation, given that the service is owned by Bell.

How much?

Basic mobile or PC-only plans start at $ 9.99 a month, but then add another $ 9.99 if you want HBO, an extra $ 5.99 if you want Starz, and another $ 9.99 if you want content from Quebec. and all in French.

Amazon Prime Video

For whom?

Anyone who wants free shipping with Amazon and also has time to watch some movies. The streaming service is primarily intended to drive customers to buy through Amazon; it is basically a little pleasure for e-commerce. But there are also some solid movies to be found in the app, and decent original programming, like the shoddy but good superhero series. Boys. And the service has acquired a host of Hollywood projects that were downloaded by Paramount over the past year, including Tom Clancy’s. No regrets Y Coming 2 America.

How much?

It’s free with a $ 79 annual Prime membership. Think of all the free shipping you can access while going through episodes of The good fight (It’s not the last season, because they are only available to rent, for some maddening reason!).

Apple TV +

For whom?

The house that Ted Lasso built is for anyone with an Apple product who doesn’t mind spending a few bucks each month on the promise of very expensive TV shows that don’t yet capture the spirit of the age (except Mr. Lasso ). There is also the strange Tom Hanks movie from time to time (the last one is Finch, after last year Greyhound). Most importantly, don’t expect a huge catalog of past titles. Because … there are none. They are all Apple originals, all the time.

How many cost?

$ 5.99 a month gets you everything that’s on offer, but if you’ve just gotten a new product from Apple, chances are you’re also getting a free one-year subscription.

Disney +

For whom?

Families Disney + is like an ultra-reliable babysitter – there’s nothing guaranteed about the service that could be unacceptable. Just keep younger kids away from some of the more intense Marvel and Star Wars movies.

How much?

Disney this year raised its price to $ 11.99 per month, or $ 119.99 per year.

Discovery +

For whom?

Reality TV addicts who don’t consider themselves “reality TV.” Launched in Canada last October, Discovery + is your one-stop-shop for 60,000 episodes of shows from HGTV, Food Network, TLC, OWN, Travel Channel, Animal Planet, and naturally the Discovery Channel.

How much?

If you really want to replicate the home viewing reality TV experience, Discovery + with Ads costs $ 4.99 per month. But $ 2 more will get you the ad-free version, with up to four simultaneous streams available.

Paramount +

For whom?

Going by the name of CBS All Access, Paramount + is one of the most … interesting … streamers in Canada. Mainly because a large portion of the larger programs available in the US version just don’t do it our way. (Not Mark Wahlberg immortal warrior movie Infinite for you Canadians! Idem The Paw Patrol movie, the new Clifford the big red dog movie, new episodes of The good fight, content from Comedy Central, BET, Showtime, etc.) But if you really love CBS proceedings like the umpteenth version of NCIS currently on air, then Paramount + could be for you.

How much?

It will be $ 5.99 per month for all Hawaii Five-O you could possibly bear.

Criterion channel

For whom?

Devoted moviegoers who have already filled their shelves with those beautiful Criterion DVDs and Blu-rays. And basically anyone who wants to stream a movie made before 1983.

How much?

Less than a Criterion DVD, that’s for sure: just over $ 14 a month for Canadians, or $ 133 for one-year access.

Pavilion

For whom?

Aiming for a slightly more upscale audience than mass-market streamers like Netflix, Kanopy offers what it calls “thoughtful entertainment” that includes “enriching movies.” Which translates to more art house hits and indie gems to be discovered, plus a host of documentaries.

How much?

Ah, that’s the best part, it’s free. As long as you have a membership in a library associated with Kanopy, such as the Toronto Public Library system, you will have free access to half a dozen movies each month. Free access is also granted to university students and professors.

Rampage

For whom?

Anyone who goes through the entire Kanopy catalog and is more inclined to search for cooler art and genre offerings. Currently, options at Hoopla range from Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie brown to this year’s excellent Mads Mikkelsen hidden movie Horsemen of justice to the decidedly cheap Bruce Willis shlock Midnight at Switchgrass. A true buffet of randomness.

How much?

Get ready for more good news – this is free too! Same deal as Kanopy – a library card is worth getting.

CBC gem

For whom?

Any fan of the national public broadcaster. Or those who generally avoid television but wouldn’t mind watching a Canadian series, documentary, or movie from time to time. Often there are also CBC Gem titles licensed abroad, creating a strange sense of international confusion when scrolling through the app. However, healing has become a bit more patchy over the last year; we hope someone at Ceeb takes a tighter control of the catalog soon. And a significant investment in marketing would also help raise awareness.

How much?

If you don’t mind seeing a lot of annoying ads, CBC Gem is free. But for a premium viewing experience, it will cost $ 4.99 a month, which also gives you live access to the CBC News Network.

BritBox

For whom?

Jointly owned by BBC Studios and ITV, New York-based BritBox targets comedy superfans (Fawlty Towers, Gavin and stacey, Are they taking care of you?), police procedures (Fulfillment of your duty, Dark heart), and so many mystery series (Midsomer murders, Vera, Poirot, Miss marple) for which the British broadcasting giants are famous. The Canadian version of the service: Catalog rights vary between regions, as with Netflix et al. – It currently has almost 400 titles.

How much?

For $ 8.99 a month, the entire Commonwealth Empire is yours. Well, almost (see below) …

Acorn

For whom?

Acorn maintains its own grip on the streaming market that Britbox is targeting by not being so, well, British. Operated by RLJ Entertainment, which in turn is owned by American cable giant AMC Networks, Acorn began life selling British television series on VHS and DVD to North American audiences, before entering the SVOD market in 2013. But instead of focusing Exclusively on British imports, Acorn focuses on what general manager Matthew Graham calls “a certain sensibility.” That translates into titles like Queens of mystery, Doc Martin, Blood; Canadian hits like Slings and arrows and the first three seasons of Murdoch Mysteries; and both new and old BBC properties (Fulfillment of your duty, Lovejoy) and ITV (Hunting) which, due to rights concerns, are not automatically funneled to BritBox. Acorn has also expanded to produce original content.

How much?

Add $ 7.49 to your monthly expenses and you have all the British content you could want.

Highball TV

For whom?

A Canadian idea, new streaming service Highball TV specializes in finding underrated titles from the film festival circuit and cradling them with love and care. That means a lot of projects that seem completely unfamiliar, but also cult favorites like What we do in the shadows and well-crafted original acquisitions, such as the Canadian drama Let.

How much?

It’s cheaper than a film festival, at $ 7 a month or $ 70 a year.

Shudder

For whom?

Anyone who likes to be crazy with fear. Shudder primarily specializes in horror-focused entertainment, with frequent dips into less scary but equally disgusting genre exercises.

How much?

Ready to scream, for joy? Plans start at $ 4.75 a month.

SEA5

For whom?

Audiences sold out by Western programming should start looking abroad, and their first stop will be the international expansion of this India-based streamer. With more than 1,600 series from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, plus more than 4,500 Bollywood and Indian-language films, ZEE5 aims to be the premiere streaming home for both the South Asian diaspora and global audiences. Not to be missed: RRR, the new film by Indian action legend SS Rajamouli (Baahubali) and Akshaye Khanna Siege stage: attack on the temple.

How much?

While it will eventually be $ 84 a year, there is a special introductory price of $ 49.99 (or $ 9.99 per month).